Exclusive report and commentary by BHANGEELAAR! The campaign for a ‘NO’ vote on the referendum question about the future constitution of Tower Hamlets Council:
Tower Hamlets Council [Labour Group of Councillors] leader admits he has been knowingly breaching the agreed policy to back the 'NO' Vote
1608 [1545] Hrs GMT
London
Thursday
06 May 2010
By © Muhammad Haque
The current leader of the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council, Lutfur Rahman has admitted to me in the past hour that the ruling Labour Group had indeed decided as group policy on the referendum on the mayor to back the ‘NO’ vote.
This raises a number of serious questions. Including the one about the boastful item in the latest glossy [4-page] propaganda sheet being distributed in Tower Hamlets by the ‘YES’ vote side.
The first question is about their claim that the ‘NO’ campaign had used Lutfur Rahman’s picture as part of a ‘dirty trick’ for the NO campaign in a recent leaflet.
If the ruling Group, of which Lutfur Rahman remains leader today [polling and ‘referendum-about-a-mayor-or--not’ day Thursday 06 May 2010], decided on a policy then it follows that the decision would be attributed to the Group’s leader at the time of reference as the identifiable figurehead for the Group.
How could that be ‘dirty’?
How could that even be a trick?
That is simply stating the obvious truth of the matter.
We have published, following the 'NO' campaign’s 11 April 2010 meeting held in Bethnal Green, a series of questions about Lutfur Rahman’s conduct, role and signals on this issue.
We have also asked Lutfur Rahman’s office on the Tower Hamlets Council to answer questions by contacting us.
He admitted today that he did not make contacts and for that he apologised.
So, who is playing dirty here?
Those who have been responsible for publishing the propaganda for a 'YES' vote ought to look at the evidence before they mount insulting attacks on the ‘NO’ vote side.
They would do very well to remember what I said when I addressed the campaigners outside the Brady centre on 6 February 2010.
I said, loudly, clearly and on more than one occasion that we are one community and the ‘referendum’; on the mayor’ question is only a small issue. And it had two aspects to it. By those things I meant to convey the view that we were entitled to campaign on legitimate issues without our campaign being misinterpreted or treated as a hostile act.
We shall continue to defend the community and campaign for the establishment of a democratic council in the Borough regardless of what or who attacks our community and or our local institutions whether those institutions are already functioning in a democratic, accountable and diverse way or whether they need our help to achieve those goals. We DEFEND the community. A clear distinction between career and community does exist. It is worth pointing out to those who have taken our local community for granted for far too long! Vote 'NO' to that as well as voting 'NO' to an undemocratic, unaccountable mayor system in Tower Hamlets.
[To be continued]
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